Tiny home rules in Indianapolis, IN — covering tiny houses on wheels (THOWs), park model RVs, and tiny home on foundation builds — determine where they are legal and how they get permitted.
Marion County permits tiny homes as long as they comply with the Indiana Residential Code; under Rev. Code Ch. 744 they require a permanent foundation, full utility hookups, and approved residential zoning.
Indianapolis-Marion County does not have a separate tiny-home ordinance but accepts tiny homes as legal dwellings under the Indiana Residential Code adopted in Rev. Code Ch. 536, with zoning standards in Ch. 744. The Indiana Residential Code's Appendix Q (Tiny Houses) sets a 400-square-foot threshold and requires habitable spaces to have a minimum ceiling height of 6 feet 8 inches. Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development requires tiny homes to sit on a permanent foundation and be fully connected to water, sewer, and electric utilities. Movable tiny homes on wheels are treated as recreational vehicles and are not legal as primary residences in most residential zones.
Occupying a tiny home without permits or in a non-permitted zone is a zoning violation under Ch. 744, with stop-occupancy orders and standard civil fines. RVs used as full-time dwellings face additional enforcement.
Indianapolis, IN
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See how Indianapolis's tiny homes rules stack up against other locations.
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